


While You Were Sleeping

by stellarmeadow



Series: Jot it Down July 2018 [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 13:23:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15171638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarmeadow/pseuds/stellarmeadow
Summary: Finding Danny was just the beginning.





	While You Were Sleeping

Steve crept down the hallway, opening each door as quietly and quickly as he could. With each empty room he cleared, the chance of finding Danny alive dropped, but Steve refused to believe that was going to happen. Not even the sound of gunfire down another hall, where the rest of the team was searching, made a dent in his certainty that he would find Danny alive.

The next to last door yielded a result at last. Steve forced himself to clear the room before running over to Danny, who was too still where he lay on his side, facing the opposite wall. 

“I’ve got Danny,” Steve called through the coms, as he knelt down in front of Danny, taking in the bruises and blood that seemed to cover at least half his body. “We need an ambulance, now!” 

“Danny?” Steve said, over Tani’s confirmation that EMS was on the way. “Danny?” He tapped Danny’s shoulder. “Hey, talk to me.”

There was no answer. Steve leaned in, but he didn’t feel any breath or see Danny’s chest rise. “Tell EMS to bring an AED,” Steve said, as he carefully rolled Danny onto his back. He started chest compressions, counting out loud, combating the speed the adrenaline was sending through his body with the familiar rhythm that was Danny’s best shot. 

He finished thirty compressions and leaned in, pinching Danny’s nose. No face shield, and Steve didn’t give a damn if it was going to save Danny’s life. Danny’s lips were warm, a sign that maybe he wasn’t too far gone. Steve watched Danny’s chest rise with one breath, then two, but not on its own after. 

Steve started compressions again, getting to ten before Danny started to cough. Steve turned him onto his side, hand on Danny’s back as Danny coughed a few more times before he went silent. 

“Danny?” 

No answer, but Steve could feel Danny’s back moving as he breathed. He laid his fingers on Danny’s neck and found a pulse just as EMS walked through the door. 

***

The steady sound of machines assured Steve that Danny’s heart and lungs were still doing their job as Steve woke. He tried to find a comfortable position in the chair, but failed yet again. It didn’t matter, though, as long as he could wake to the sounds that told him Danny was still alive.

But not awake. Not yet. 

The door behind him opened, and Steve turned to see Grace poke her head in. She stepped the rest of the way in the room, Charlie trailing behind, his hand firmly in that of his big sister. 

“Uncle Steve?” Grace said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s okay,” Steve said in a normal voice. “You’re not going to bother him if you talk.”

“Oh good.” She led Charlie across the room, glancing at Danny before averting her eyes to focus on Steve instead. “Has he woken up yet?” 

Steve shook his head. “Not yet.” Not once, not in two days, and Steve should know, because he’d been there the whole time, ignoring any attempt to get him to leave the room. The nurses had at least managed to convince him to shower in the adjacent bathroom, but he’d kept the door open, just in case.

Funny how having to bring someone you loved back to life with your own hands made it difficult to leave their side until they woke up.

Which was a revelation he could continue finding ways to deal with with once he’d taken care of Danny’s kids. 

“What did the doctor say?” Grace asked, pulling Charlie back as he started to get too close to the bed. 

“That’s it’s just a matter of time before he wakes up,” Steve answered, before leaning down to talk to Charlie. “It’s okay,” Steve said. “You can go over there.” 

Charlie did, laying his hand on Danny’s leg as he looked up the length of the bed at his father. “But he’s gonna wake up?” Charlie asked, looking at Steve. “Right?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, more certain than the doctors who were ‘cautiously optimistic.’ “He’s gonna wake up any time now.” 

***

It was dark outside when Steve woke, but he sensed the presence next to him before he opened his eyes. He turned his head as he opened his eyes to see Tani. “I thought you went home,” Steve said.

“Nah, I went to get some dinner and came back and you were asleep. Figured I’d stay a little longer.” 

“How long was I out?” Steve asked, as he stretched his aching muscles.

“Maybe an hour?” 

Steve studied Danny, satisfying himself that nothing had changed before asking, “Anything happen?” 

“Nope.” Tani leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, eyes still on Steve. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m not the one with a broken arm, three broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a new hospital record for contusions.” He wasn’t entirely sure about that last one, but it certainly seemed likely, given the number he’d been able to count.

Tani’s steady stare was one of the things that made her so good in the interrogation room. “No, but not all the damage from something like this is visible,” she said. “And it doesn’t all happen to the victim.”

Steve glanced at her, but there was no accusation in her gaze. Just certain knowledge. “Yeah, well,” Steve said. “I can deal with my damage once Danny’s through his.”

***

The shifting of fabric woke Steve. Tani had left a few hours before, and Steve knew he hadn’t moved, which meant….

He opened his eyes to see Danny’s arm moving. Steve followed the arm up to Danny’s face to see Danny’s eyes opened, squinting against even the low amount of light in the room. “Hey,” Danny said, the raspy word barely audible through the respirator mask.

It was the best sound Steve had heard since Danny had started breathing again. “Hey,” Steve replied. “How you feeling?” 

“Like shit.” Danny’s slight laugh ended in a cough that made him wince. 

“Let me get a nurse,” Steve said, pushing the call button. A moment later the room was full of activity, and Steve moved to the end of the bed, where he wasn’t in the way but could see for himself that Danny was still awake.

Later he would find out what happened before he’d found Danny, and fill Danny in on everything that had happened after. He’d find a way to make light of saving Danny’s life, and much later, when Danny didn’t look like everything but his hair hurt like hell, Steve would find out how those lips felt when Danny could respond to a completely different touch on them. 

Right now, it was enough that he could see Danny’s eyes. 

\--  
END


End file.
